Mayor: MBKS pushes for parking digitalisation to replace coupon system
A screengrab of Wee during the 'Shall WEE Talk' session yesterday.
KUCHING (June 29): The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) is pushing for the digitalisation of its parking system, aiming to scrap the use of physical coupons.
Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said they are looking at introducing a mobile application to facilitate the payment of parking fees within the MBKS jurisdiction.
'This proposal will be submitted to the State Cabinet for approval in July, and is expected to take form in either July or August.
'We are not trying to make things difficult, but digitalisation will offer greater convenience and is more friendly to users,' he said during his Facebook live session 'Shall WEE Talk' yesterday.
In the process of digitalising the parking system, Wee said the personnel involved with issuing overparking compounds will be gradually reduced.
He felt that it is time to embrace digitalisation, a transformation that people of all ages cannot run away from.
On the implementation of e-invoicing and expanded Sales and Services Tax (SST), the Mayor said the government should take the people into consideration before introducing any new policy.
He said people are bound to voice their dissatisfaction if the government implements a new policy without seeking consultations from the relevant stakeholders.
'When a new policy is implemented in a rush, enterprises and people on the ground will find it hard to adapt to it, thereby eroding public confidence on the government of the day.
'Government policies are not experimental trials but get to decide the survival of enterprises and the livelihoods of our people,' he added.
To make sure that people can cushion the impact of the rising cost of living, Wee said the government should work on ensuring that its policies would not create further financial burden amid the current economic slowdown.
He added that the government must ensure financial stability while introducing new policies so that people can have better planning for their livelihoods.
'It is not that we cannot cooperate, but we need sufficient time to plan and adapt to new policies.'
As such, he called for comprehensive consultation and planning from the government before it introduces and implements any policy to avoid protesting voices from the various communities.
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